Tess Henchard was the ex-wife of Alec Hardy and the mother of Daisy Hardy.
During the Sandbrook investigation, Tess worked with her husband to solve the kidnapping and murder case. However, after retrieving a vital piece of evidence, the pendant, from the chief suspect, Lee Ashworth's, car, she had the pendant stolen from her own car by Claire Ripley while she was having an affair in a local hotel. To save Daisy from knowing about her mother's affair, Alec Hardy took the blame for the lost pendant. Tess and Alec divorced soon aferwards.